Needle mounting arrangement

ABSTRACT

Stitch bonding needles have slanted lateral anchoring portions projecting transversely from the respective shank end portion and being embedded in cast material filling a cavity in a holding member so that the needles are reliably secured against the forces acting on the needles during the piercing and retraction motions of the needles. The rear end of the hollow shank end portion of the needle is located outside of the cavity so that the cast material cannot enter the guideway for the latch slide part of the needle.

Umted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,747,373 Sedlecky et' a1. July 24, 1973[54] NEEDLE MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT 3,229,485 1/1966 Pesenl et a1 66/1203,079,778 3/1963 Kubelka 66/85 [751 'f sgdlfckyi Maul; 3,439,386 4/1969Spisak 19/129 Bohumll Millchovsky; Olrich Eisner, 3,344,482 10/1967 Mannet a1 19/129 all of Prague, Czechoslovakia 73 A Sta i v k U l T 1 lFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS g' zg j g n 1,503,142 12/1967 France139/192 Filedl l"'- 7, 1971 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum 21 APPL No:132 010 Att0rney-Michael S. Striker [30] Foreign Application PriorityData [57] ABSTRACT Apr. 10, 1970 Czechoslovakia 241 070 stitch bmldingneedles have Slanted lateral ahchmihg portions projecting transverselyfrom the respective 52 11.8. c1. 66/120 shank end P and being embeddedin Cast malehial 51 Int. (:1 D04b 35/04 filling cavity in a holdingmember that the needles 58 Field of Search 66/120, 121, 123 are reliablySecured against the forces acting on the 66/86, 84 needles during thepiercing and retraction motions of the needles. The rear end of thehollow shank end por- 56] References Cited tion of the needle is locatedoutside of the cavity so that UNITED STATES PATENTS the cast materialcannot enter the guideway for the latch slide part of the needle.2,714,811 8/1955 Amidon 66/86 2,259,655 10/1941 Morton 66/114 12 Claims,6 Drawing Figures NEEDLE MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to the mounting of needles inholding means, and more particularly to the mounting of stitch bondingneedles used in machines for stitch bonding a fibrous web, or any othertextile fabric.

Conventional stitch bonding needles consist of two parts, namely a mainpart with a shank and hook, and a sliding latch reciprocable in aguideway of the main needle portion for opening and closing the hook.

It is known to embed the shank end portion in a holding member. In orderto more reliably embed the shank end portion, notches are provided inthe region of the back of the shank end portion. In order to improve themounting of conventional needles, including bearded and latch needles,the extremity of the needles is divided into an upwardly and adownwardly bent part. It has been found that this construction isinsufficient, particularly for stitch bonding needles, since a looseningof the needle in the holding member occurs due to the fact that stitchbonding needles have to pierce a fibrous web or mat, and then bewithdrawn from the same, which causes great longitudinal forces actingon the stitch bonding needles. Particularly, the construction is notapplicable to tubular stitch bonding needles which have an innerguideway for slidingly guiding a movable latch.

During a stitch bonding operation, the needle has to pass a fibrouslayer, which offers considerable resistance to the piercing and returnmotions of the needle, particularly if the layer is made of asbestos,jute, or similar hard fibers. A stitch bonding method is known in whichno thread is used by the stitch bonding needles, but fibers of the webare pulled by the needle hook, which produces considerable stresses onthe needle. The longitudinal forces are transferred by the needle shankto the holding means so that the shank end portion is loosened.

Every time the shank end portion of a needle is loosened in the holdingmember, the same has to be replaced, which is a time-consuming jobrequiring stopping of the loom, and furthermore causes faults in thefinal fabric. Since each holding member mounts between two and tenneedles, it is necessary to replace the holding member with all needleswhen one or two needles become loose. Even the recasting of a loosenedneedle is time-consuming and requires interruption of the loomoperations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is one object of the invention to overcomethe disadvantages of the needle mounting arrangements according to theprior art, and to embed needles in holding means so that they do notbecome loose even after long use.

Another object of the invention is to increase the resistance of aneedle against longitudinal impact forces occurring during piercing andreturn motions of a stitch bonding needle reinforcing a fibrous web orother textile sheet.

With these objects in view, a needle according to the invention haslateral anchoring projections, which are preferably slanted to thelongitudinal direction of the needle, and are bent out from the backportion of the needle shank,at least on one side of the needle shank.

More than one anchoring projection can be provided on one side, or twoor more anchoring projections can be provided on opposite sides of theshank end portion.

A needle mounting arrangement according to one embodiment of theinvention comprises needle holding means having at least one cavity, atleast one needle including a shank with a shank end portion having atleast one transversely projecting anchoring portion; and cast materiallocated in the cavity of the holding means in which the shank endportion and anchoring portion are located. In this manner, the shank endportion and anchoring portion are fixedly embedded in the holding means,and the anchoring portion reliably secures the needle in the holdingmeans while the front and rear ends of the shank end portion are locatedoutside of the casing.

Due to the strong anchoring effect of the transversely projectinganchoring portions, a stitch bonding needle can sustain the great forcesdeveloped during piercing of a fibrous web, and during retraction fromthe same, without becoming loose in the holding means.

By the anchoring projections of the invention, the resistance of thestitch bonding needles against loosening during repeated passagesthrough a fibrous web is increased many times, and the life span of theneedle is substantially extended.

The novel features of the invention which are considered ascharacteristic are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic plan viewillustrating a stitch bonding needle according to a first embodiment ofthe invention having two slanted anchoring projections on the same side;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the needle shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a modified stitch bonding needlehaving slanted anchoring projections on both sides thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the needle shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a set of four stitch bondingneedles embedded in a holding member; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a plurality ofholding members with sets of needles mounted on a needle bed to form arow of needles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1 and2, a stitch bonding needle includes a main part 1 with a needle head 4ending in a hook 5 which has a point 6, and a latch slide part 2slidably guided in a straight tubular inner guideway connecting the endsof main part 1, and movable between a position closing book 5 and aposition opening the same. The latch slide part rearwardly projects fromthe rear end of the guideway. A stitch bonding needle of this type isdisclosed in detail in the US. Pat. No. 3,229,485.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of a needle according to theinvention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 a sec ond embodiment. Corresponding partsare indicated by the same reference numeral, which are primed in FIGS. 2and 3.

The needle has a shank '7 ending in a shank end portion 3, two lateralfaces 13 and 14 between a back portion 11 and a front portion 12, whichis formed with a guideway for the latch 2. In the embodiment of FIGS. iiand 2, the back portion 11 of the shank end portion 3 has two rearwardlyand laterally slanted anchoring projections 9 which define substantiallythe same angle with the longitudinal direction of the needle 1. Sincethe anchoring projections 9 are located only on one side of the needle,and in the back portion of the same, the lateral face portions along thefront portion 12 remain continuous.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, in which parts corresponding to theembodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 are provided with primed reference numerals,the back portion 1 l of shank end portion 3 has slanted anchoringprojections 9' one of which projects laterally and forwardly, while theother anchoring projection projects laterally and rearwardly. Thelateral face portions of the front portion 12' remain continuous, sincethe anchoring projections are formed only in the back portion 11'. Theforwardly and rearwardly projecting anchoring portions 9' are located onopposite sides of the shank end portion 3'.

Since the front portions l2, 12' are not used for the bent anchoringportions 9 and 9', the transverse strength of the needles is notimpaired substantially.

FIG. 5 shows a holding member 8 which is provided with an inner cavityin which the shank end portions 3, 3' and the anchoring portions 9, 9 ofa set of needles I or I is inserted. The rear ends la of the shank endportions 3, 3', from which the latch slide parts 2 rearwardly project,are located rearward of the rear wall bounding the cavity, and outsideof the cavity. After insertion, the cavity is filled with a castmaterial, but no material can enter the guideway. Due to the laterallyprojecting anchoring portions, the contact area between the castmaterial and the shank end portion 3 is considerably increased ascompared with constructions of the prior art. Since the anchoringportions 9 or 9' anchor the respective needles firmly in the castmaterial, longitudinal forces acting on the needles due to reciprocatingmovements of the needle heads 4 into and out of a fibrous web or mat,are absorbed and dampened, and the needle does not become loose in thematerial cast into the cavity of holding member 8. When the acute anglesdefined by the slanted anchoring portions 9 and 9' with the longitudinaldirection of the needle are suitably chosen, and the arrangement of theanchoring portions 9 or 9' is selected in accordance with operationalconditions, the span of life of each holder 3 with needles l or 1' isconsiderably increased.

The slanted lateral anchoring projections 9 or 9' of the back portion 11of the needle shank 7, are made in a conventional manner in the press inwhich the needle is formed.

Each holding member s is usually provided with two to ten needles, and arow ,of needle holders 18 is mounted in a corresponding recess ofaneedle bed 10, as shown in FIG. 6. Screws 18 secure each holder 8 to theneedle bed l9. Since all holders d are of the same construction, a rowof needles I is formed of the several sets of needles supported by theseveral holding members 8 which together constitute a holding means forthe row of needles 1. The ends la of the shank end portions 3, 3rearwardly project out of the cavities in holding members 8 so that thecast material cannot enter into the space formed by latch part 2 in theguideway of the needle main part 1.

As a casting material, composite metals are used, preferably a leadalloy, or any other alloy having a low melting point. A suitablethermoplastic synthetic material may also be used.

Stitch bonding needles mounted in accordance with the present inventionare used in stitch bonding machines on the one hand for forming warploops, and on the other hand to pierce the fibrous web which is to bereinforced by the warp knit. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,964, disclosesmounting arrangements for stitch bonding needles, and describes theoperation of the needles in great detail.

While the present invention is particularly advantageously used forstitch bonding needles which penetrate a fibrous web, the mountingarrangement of the invention may be applied to any knitting needle.

Itwill be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofneedle mounting arrangements, differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in aknitting needle having anchoring projections located in material castinto a cavity of a holding member, it is not intended to be limited tothe details shown, since various modifications and structural changesmay be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Needle mounting arrangement comprising needle holding means includingwalls bounding a cavity; at least one knitting needle including a mainpart and a straight latch slide part, said main part having at the frontend a hook, and at the rear end a shank end portion and at least oneanchoring portion transversely projecting from said shank portion, saidshank end portion extending through said cavity so that said front andrear ends thereof are located outside of said cavity, said main parthaving a straight tubular inner guideway between said front and rearends for guiding said latch slide part for reciprocating movement sothat said hook is opened and closed by the front end of said latch slidepart while the rear end of said latch slide part projects from saidshank end portion rearward of said cavity; and cast material in saidcavity fixedly embedding said shank end portion and said anchoringportion in said holding means whereby said anchoring portion securessaid main part in said holding means while no cast material can entersaid straight tubular inner guideway from the rear end of said shank endportion.

2. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shankend portion extend in one longitudinal direction; and wherein saidanchoring portion projects laterally from said shank end portion.

3. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidanchoring portion is slanted to said shank end portion and defines anacute angle with said longitudinal direction.

4. Needle mounting arrangement comprising needle holding means includingwalls bounding a cavity; at least one knitting needle including a mainpart and a straight latch slide part, said main part having at the frontend a hook, and at the rear end a shank end portion and at least oneslanted anchoring portion integrally bent out from said shank endportion and transversely projecting therefrom, said shank end portionextending through said cavity so that said front and rear ends thereofare located outside of said cavity, said main part having a straighttubular inner guideway be tween said front and rear ends for guidingsaid latch slide part for reciprocating movement so that said hook isopened and closed by the front end of said latch slide part while therear end of said latch slide part projects from said shank end portionrearward of said cavity; and cast material in said cavity fixedlyembedding said shank end portion and said anchoring portion in saidholding means whereby said anchoring portion secures said main part insaid holding means while no cast material can enter said straighttubular inner guideway from the rear end of said shank end portion.

5. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein said shankend portion has said anchoring portion on one side, and a secondintegrally bent out anchoring portion at the other side thereof; andwherein said anchoring portions are slanted to said shank end portionand define angles with the longitudinal direction of said shank endportion.

6. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 5 wherein one of saidanchoring portions projects laterally and forwardly, and the otheranchoring portion extends laterally and rearward in relation to saidknitting needle.

7. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said shankend portion has lateral faces on said sides, a back portion between saidlateral faces, and a front portion between said lateral faces; andwherein said anchoring portions are laterally bent out of said backportion so that said front portion is laterally bounded by continuouslateral portions of said lateral faces.

8. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein said shankend portion has said anchoring portion on one side thereof, and anotherintegrally bent out anchoring portion on the same side thereof; andwherein said anchoring portions are slanted to said shank end portionand define angles with the longitudinal direction of said shank endportion.

9. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein saidslanted anchoring portions are substantially parallel, and laterally andrearward slanted.

10. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein saidshank end portion has lateral faces on both sides, a back portionbetween said lateral faces and a front portion between said lateralfaces; and wherein said anchoring portions are laterally bent out ofsaid back portion so that said front portion is laterally bounded bycontinuous lateral portions of said lateral faces.

11. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, including a setof knitting needles; wherein said holding means include at least oneholding member; wherein said holding member has at least one cavity forreceiving the shank end portions of the knitting needles of said set ofknitting needles; and wherein said cavity is filled with said castmaterial for embedding said shank end portions and anchoring portions ofsaid set of knitting needles.

l2. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidholding means include front and rear walls bounding said cavity; whereinsaid shank portion extends through said front and rear walls; andwherein said rear end of said latch slide part projects from the rearend of said shank portion rearward of said rear wall.

1. Needle mounting arrangement comprising needle holding means includingwalls bounding a cavity; at least one knitting needle including a mainpart and a straight latch slide part, said main part having at the frontend a hook, and at the rear end a shank end portion and at least oneanchoring portion transversely projecting from said shank portion, saidshank end portion extending through said cavity so that said front andrear ends thereof are located outside of said cavity, said main parthaving a straight tubular inner guideway between said front and rearends for guiding said latch slide part for reciprocating movement sothat said hook is opened and closed by the front end of said latch slidepart while the rear end of said latch slide part projects from saidshank end portion rearward of said cavity; and cast material in saidcavity fixedly embedding said shank end portion and said anchoringportion in said holding means whereby said anchoring portion securessaid main part in said holding means while no cast material can entersaid straight tubular inner guideway from the rear end of said shank endportion.
 2. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid shank end portion extend in one longitudinal direction; and whereinsaid anchoring portion projects laterally from said shank end portion.3. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidanchoring portion is slanted to said shank end portion and defines anacute angle with said longitudinal direction.
 4. Needle mountingarrangement comprising needle holding means including walls bounding acavity; at least one knitting needle including a main part and astraight latch slide part, said main part having at the front end ahook, and at the rear end a shank end portion and at least one slantedanchoring portion integrally bent out from said shank end portion andtransversely projecting therefrom, said shank end portion extendingthrough said cavity so that said front and rear ends thereof are locatedoutside of said cavity, said main part having a straight tubular innerguideway between said front and rear ends for guiding said latch slidepart for reciprocating movement so that said hook is opened and closedby the front end of said latch slide part while the rear end of saidlatch slide part projects from said shank end portion rearward of saidcavity; and cast material in said cavity fixedly embedding said shankend portion and said anchoring portion in said holding means wherebysaid anchoring portion secures said main part in said holding meanswhile no cast mAterial can enter said straight tubular inner guidewayfrom the rear end of said shank end portion.
 5. Needle mountingarrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein said shank end portion hassaid anchoring portion on one side, and a second integrally bent outanchoring portion at the other side thereof; and wherein said anchoringportions are slanted to said shank end portion and define angles withthe longitudinal direction of said shank end portion.
 6. Needle mountingarrangement as claimed in claim 5 wherein one of said anchoring portionsprojects laterally and forwardly, and the other anchoring portionextends laterally and rearward in relation to said knitting needle. 7.Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said shankend portion has lateral faces on said sides, a back portion between saidlateral faces, and a front portion between said lateral faces; andwherein said anchoring portions are laterally bent out of said backportion so that said front portion is laterally bounded by continuouslateral portions of said lateral faces.
 8. Needle mounting arrangementas claimed in claim 4, wherein said shank end portion has said anchoringportion on one side thereof, and another integrally bent out anchoringportion on the same side thereof; and wherein said anchoring portionsare slanted to said shank end portion and define angles with thelongitudinal direction of said shank end portion.
 9. Needle mountingarrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein said slanted anchoringportions are substantially parallel, and laterally and rearward slanted.10. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein saidshank end portion has lateral faces on both sides, a back portionbetween said lateral faces and a front portion between said lateralfaces; and wherein said anchoring portions are laterally bent out ofsaid back portion so that said front portion is laterally bounded bycontinuous lateral portions of said lateral faces.
 11. Needle mountingarrangement as claimed in claim 1, including a set of knitting needles;wherein said holding means include at least one holding member; whereinsaid holding member has at least one cavity for receiving the shank endportions of the knitting needles of said set of knitting needles; andwherein said cavity is filled with said cast material for embedding saidshank end portions and anchoring portions of said set of knittingneedles.
 12. Needle mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 1 whereinsaid holding means include front and rear walls bounding said cavity;wherein said shank portion extends through said front and rear walls;and wherein said rear end of said latch slide part projects from therear end of said shank portion rearward of said rear wall.